[Results of the treatment of chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura with ascorbic acid].

The main objective of the present work is to describe the results of the treatment with ascorbic acid in thirteen patients with refractory chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (CITP) and to compare its results with those informed in the literature. The patients received ascorbic acid 2 g/day, orally, in the morning during at least eight weeks. At the end of the period of control there were only four partial responses (30%); the remaining patients did not experience any kind of favorable reaction. Previous publications informed mean partial and complete responses of 11 and 19% respectively. According to such results and those of the present work, and taking into account the generally transitory duration of the response it is concluded that ascorbic acid is of no use in the treatment of CITP.